Method for continuous pouring of concrete



c. l. WILLIAMS 3,152,198

METHOD FOR CONTINUOUS POURING 0F CONCRETE 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 6, 1964Filed Feb. 23, 1961 47 ELL.

Cgesfer K W/Y/iams 1B. A ffor ney Oct 6, 1964 c. l. WILLIAMS METHOD FORCONTINUOUS POURING OF CONCRETE 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 23, 1961 INVEN TOR. Ch esfer Williams Oct. 6, 1964 c. l. WILLIAMS 3,152,198

METHOD FOR CONTINUOUS POURING OF CONCRETE Filed Feb. 23, 1961 7Sheets-Sheet 3 ill-i.

INVENTOR.

C/ggsfer Wi/h'ams Afforney Oct. 6, 1964 c. 1. WILLIAMS 3,152,198

METHOD FOR CONTINUOUS POURING 0F CONCRETE Filed Feb. 23, 1961 7Sheets-Sheet 4 IN V EN TOR:

1;. 4 Affornq C Qesfer WlY/fams Oct. 6, 1964 c. l. WILLIAMS 3,152,198

METHOD FOR CONTINUOUS POURING OF CONCRETE Filed Feb. 23, 1961 7Sheets-Sheet 6 B. 7 W Afforn j Oct. 6, 1964 c. l. WILLIAMS 3,152,198

METHOD FOR CONTINUOUS POURING OF CONCRETE Filed Feb. 23, 1961 7Sheets-Sheet '7 IN VEN TOR.

' chem/A "ams United States Patent "ice n 3 7 Greenbrrar Stu,

"Itch.

This invention relates to the securing of forms used to confine pouredconcrete. A large concrete structure is usually developed in successivelayers, or pours, each of these being allowed to at least partially setbefore the next one is poured on top of it. It is conventional practiceto embed anchors in the concrete as it is poured, these being used assecuring points to hold the forms in position for the succeeding pour.The liquid pressure of poured concrete is distributed over the formsurface, and the large areas involved will result in tremendous forcesbeing reouired to hold the forms in place.

The embedded anchors cannot resist the holding forces until thesurrounding concrete has set for three or four days, and this hasresulted in a corresponding delay beween pours. Applicant has devised asystem for anchoring the forms in pours three or four days old, withoutwaiting for such periods between the pours. The anchors are placed at asubstantial distance from the form face of the concrete structure, andare provided with extensions disposed upwardly on an incline from theanchor to the formed face so that the extension reaches through thegreen concrete. The securing forces are transferred through theextensions down to the older concrete capable of holding the anchor.

This anchoring system is particularly useful in conjunction withso-called continuous forms, with the anchors and extensions beingconnected to dummy shebolts on the forms as the pouring proceeds.Movable forms may also be secured in this manner, the forms themselvesbeing handled according to the usual procedure.

Applicant has also devised a novel form construction 'llich can utilizethis anchoring technique without involvthe usual form-handling equipmentand operations. this new form construction is based upon the action of amovable brace, or strongbaclc, constructed so that it can be movedupwardly while still retaining a portion of it firmly secured to theconcrete. The upward movement of this device is similar to the action ofa continuous aterpiilar tread system used on construction vehicles, inwhich the successive elements are laid in place in the manner of achain.

The se eral features of the invention will be analyzed in further detailthrough a discussion of the particular embodiments illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 presents a sectional elevation showing a movable articulatingform brace secured in position on a concrete structure.

FIGURE 2 is a section on the plane 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a section on the plane 33 of FIGURE 2, and illustrates therelationship of a form panel with the articulating movable form brace.

FIGURE 4 illustrates an intermediate position showing the elevation ofthe movable form panel as the unit moves upwardly in position to receivea new pour.

FIGURE 5 presents a perspective view on an enlarged scale of the deviceused to induce the upward articulating motion of the brace unit.

FIGURE 6 illustrates an interm diate position showing he raising of theform panel into the new secured position of the movable brace.

-FIGURE 7 is a view taken on the plane 7-7 of FIG- URE 2.

'atented @ct. 5:3, 1954 FIGURE 8 is a schematic view in sectionalelevation showing a concrete structure being progressively developed insuccessive pours through the use of the movable brace system.

FIGURE 9 presents a sectional elevation on an enlarged scale showing thedetails of a mechanism elevating the form pan ls.

FIGURE 10 presents a sectional elevation showing a continuous concreteform secured with the new anchoring system.

FIGURE 11 presents a front elevation of the form structure illustratedin FIGURE 10.

FIGURE 12 presents a sectional elevation showing the use of individualmovable form panels secured by the new anchor system.

FIGURE 13 presents a sectional elevation showing the securing ofindividual movable form elements of the type shown in FIGURE 12.

FIGURE 14 presents a front elevation of the structure sh wn in FIGURE13.

Referring to FIGURE 1 and the related views, the concrete structure 2%is being progressively developed by the pours 21-24. The formed face 25is established by a system of form panels 26 supported by movable braceunits 27. A group of anchors 28-31 are shown embedded in the concrete,with the anchor 32 in place to be surrounded by the concrete poured inthe area indicated at 33. The anchor 32 may be held in position as theconcrete is poured by any convenient jig (not shown) secured to thebrace unit 27. Each of the anchors is provided with an extension asindicated at 34-38 inclined upwardly from the anchor toward the formedface 25, with the brace unit 27 being secured in the position shown inFIG- URE 1 by forces transmitted through the extensions 34 and 35 to theanchors 2S and 29, respectively. The extensions may be in the form of agroup of rods connected by couplings as shown at 39 and 4t or they maybe integral with the anchors themselves. At points adjacent the plane ofthe formed face 25, the extensions are connected to heavy shebolts asshown at 41 and 42 which transfer the securing forces from the rods tothe adjustable clamping terminals 43 and 4 bearing against theindividual beam members 45 and 46 of the movable brace 27. In thearrangement shown in FIGURE 1, it may be presumed that the successivepours are made on successive days, and it should be noted that theforces securing the brace member 27 in place are being resisted byanchors embedded in concrete which is three and four days old. Theextensions associated with these anchors are not relied upon to engagethe concrete surrounding them, but only to transfer these forces down tothe anchors below.

The movable brace unit 27 is formed by a series of articulating beamsections 4549. Each of these is pivotally connected to the section oneither side of it, with the pivotal connection in each case beingpreferably provided with a gusset 51-56 secured to one of the sectionsfor limiting the articulation of one section with respect to the otherat approximately degrees. The sections 45 and 46 are shown in a degreerelationship, and the functioning of the articulation will be mosteasily understood from FIGURE 4. FIGURE 4 illustrates the movement ofthe brace unit after the pour 33 has been made, and the shebolt 41 hasbeen disconnected. The bolt remains secured, and an upward movement ofthe brace unit is necessary to position it for receiving the next pourabove. To provide the upward movement, which is similar to the action ofa caterpillar tread, the removable device 57 shown in FIGURE 5 isapplied as illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4. The hooked end 58 is engagedover the pivot pin 59, with the legs 60 and 61 engaged in holes in themembers 4559 as shown at 62-65 "3 3 inFIGURE 7. The legs tit? and 61 areprovided with an engaging fork having projections as shown at 66 forengaging these holes. The rod 67 is secured to the hook 58, and a block68 slides freely over the threaded portion 69. The wheel nut 74 (referto FIGURE 4) limits the movement of the block 68 along the rod 69, androtation of the wheel nut from the postion shown in FIGURE 3 throughthat shown in FIGURE 4 produces the articulating movement causing thebrace member 27 to move upwardly. At each time the brace unit is securedin position as shown in FIGURE 1, the lowermost of the beam elementsforms a convenient point for placing a scaffolding plank shown at 71 indotted lines.

Each of the beam sections 45-5i3 includes a pair of opposite channels asshown at 72 and 73 in FIGURE 2, connected by a plate 74 having a holefor receiving the 7 bolt 41. The plate 74 is narrower than the totalwidth across the pair of channels 72 and 73, leaving an offset shoulderto form a guideway receiving the edge of the form panel 26. Similarstructure is provided at opposite ends of the panel as, and the formedsurface is provided in part by the panels 26, and in part by the exposedsurface of the plates 7 The spacing of the channels 72 and 73 issufficient to receive the shebolts between them, with the terminal unit44 having the function of spanning across the channels 72 and 73 fortransferring forces to them from the nut 75.

Raising the form panels 26 to a new position of the brace members 27 isaccomplished as shown in FIG- URES 6, 7, and 9. The form panel 26 ispreferably of sheet steel, and is provided with the angle stiifeners 76and 77, which are preferably welded in place. The panel 26 is alsoequipped with a lateral extension 78 secured to the flange 753 of thestiffener 76, with the outer extremity of this extension having athreaded opening .for receiving the jack screw 86. The member 31 isfreely movable along the jack screw 80, and is simply placed inengagement with the top of the channel 72 to form a platform againstwhich the forces may be applied by the jack screw 80 to raise the panel26 into engagement with the beam section 47. After this movement .hasbeen accomplished by the jack screw 80 it is rotated out of engagementwith the extension '78, and the entire unit is removed. The securedposition of the panel 26 is maintained by a U-shaped clip such as isindicated at 82, or by any other convenient device.

The legs of this clip are received in the pairs of holes .shown at 83and 84 in FIGURE 7, and in the similarly placed holes at correspondinglocations on other beam sections.

Referring to FIGURES 10 and 11, the anchoring system described herein isshown applied to a so-called continuous form. This system of formconstruction is very advantageous when concrete is being poured at lowtemperatures. The form is normally constructed from ground level up to asubstantial height before pouring is commenced, with the formsthemselves being either self-supported above the level of the concrete,or temporarily braced by some convenient jury structure. The forms maybe left in place until the entire structure is developed, or salvageoperations may remove the lower portions of the form after they are nolonger necsssary. One advantage to the arrangement is the fact that theenclosure provided by the fully-constructed form panels retains heat,permitting the operations to be carried on under severe weatherconditions. The securing of the forms against the pressure of the pouredconcrete is accomplished through the use of the anchoring systempreviously described, with the anchors 85 and 86 being embedded at aconsiderable distance from the formed faces 87 and 88, respectively, andextending on a slant upward to the formed faces for connection to theshebolts as previously described. If the pours defined by thehorizontally parallel lines in FIGURE 10 are made on successive days,the concrete to be poured in the space $9 will create a pressure on theform systems 9-59 and 91 which will be resisted by anchors embedded inconcrete three or four days previously. Under normal procedure, theshebolts connected to anchors above that point would not be tighteneduntil later, since the concrete at levels closer to the top would not beable to sustain loading. The form systems 9% and 91 are of conventionaldesign, and are shown in front elevation in FIGURE 11. A panel system 92may be of plywood or planking, and normally carries a group of parallelstifieners known as studs indicated at 93%. Parallel spaced beams 97 98and 994%, referred to as walers, are placed in position transverse withrespect to the studs 93-96, and transfer the loading to the shebolts 1G1and 192 (and those immediately below these) connected to the respectiveanchors.

Referring to FIGURES 12-14, the dam illustrated schematically has beendeveloped to the point shown in successive pours indicated at lid-117.The first pour has been laid on the ground level indicated at 118, whichis preferably bed rock. In the use of this invention, it is preferablethat the height of each of these pours be approximately two and one-halffeet. As each pour is made, the form elements 119 and 1.2% are securedin position as shown, and confine the liquid concrete until it ishardened sufficiently to permit the forms to be removed. Preparation forthe next pour involves detaching these form elements, moving themupward, and securing them in position so that the reiatively high liquidressure of the concrete will be resisted without extensive deflection.In securing the forms for the first pour, the anchors may be groutedinto holes in the rock, or special rock anchors may be used.

The form elements themselves are of conventional construction, andinclude a panel 121 which is usually either of plywood or planking, andis reinforced by a group of parallel studs as shown at 122124. Theliquid pressure from the newly-poured concrete is distributed over thesurface of the panel 121, and the effect of the studs is to convert thispressure force into specific loading at vertically-spaced points. Thevertical walers 125423 bridge across these studs, and transfer the loadfrom them to the securing point represented by the bolts 129 132. Thesebolts extend through the terminal plates 133436 acting as a bridgeacross the adjacent walers, these being spaced sufiiciently to receivethe bolts between them. The loading is transferred from the plates tothe bolts through the special nuts 137-146, respectively.

The bolts 129-132 are commonly referred to in the trade as she-bolts andare provided with an internal thread at the inner end for receiving theexternal threads of the tension rods 141 144. These rods transfer thestresses to a group of anchors 145 that are embedded in the successivepours of concrete as shown in FIGURE 13. It is conventional practice toprovide a slight taper to the inner end of the bolts 129-131 so thatthey may be unscrewed from the end of the rods 141-144 withoutdisturbing the face of the concrete. After these rods have served theirpurpose, the openings left by the ends of the she-bolts are filled in sothat the face of the concrete forms a continuous surface.

It should be noted that the form 119, in the position shown in FIGURE13, is being held in position by tension transferred through the rods141 and 142 down through the pours 117 and 116 to anchors that areembedded in the pours and 114, respectively. The vertical weight of theform is supported on the bolts 13% and 1.32 through the action of theblocks 146449, respectively, and even this loading can be eliminatedfrom the pour 117 by extending the form downward to engage anyparticular pour which may be selected. The stability in position of theform 119 is maintained by forces transferred through the rods 141, inthe position shown in FIGURE 13. On the next successive pour above thatshown in FIGURE 13 in dotted lines, the weight of the form would besupported on the bolt secured to the rods 141, with the rod 156 thenserving the function presently formed by the rod 141. It is preferableto maintain a proper spaced relationship for the rods and anchors tomake this successive positioning of the forms possible, and it isrecommended that some form of jig such as indicated at 151 be removablyattached to the form 119 so that the group of anchors 145 may beaccurately located. The tension rods 141-144 (and the others as well)may either be continuous from the point of attachment to the bolts downto the anchors, or may be divided into lengths connected by couplings asshown at 152 and 153. They may also be integral with the anchors.

Another conventional method of form-handling lends itself to the type ofsecuring provided by this invention. The so-called cantilever formarrangement involves the use of a single row of bolts in the position ofthe bolts 130 and 132. The form is then extended downward several feet,and is there provided with a jack bearing against the face of theconcrete structure. This jack can be adjusted to give the propervertical orientation of the form. It should be pointed out that ineither case, the angularity of the tie rods 141444 with respect to theface of the walers 125-128 will create a natural tendency for theterminal plates 133-136 to slip downwardly, and this tendency isconventionally controlled by spiking the plates in fixed position withrespect to the walers, or by serrating the base of the plates.

One of the great advantages of the various modifications of thisinvention is the fact that concrete which is poured within a certainperiod following the preceding pour does not necessitate a carefulcleaning of the surface on which the concrete is deposited. Successivepours approximately one day apart do not require this extensive andinconvenient clean-up operation, and the resulting economy is verysubstantial. The depth of each pour and the waiting period between thepours will determine the arrangement of the anchors 145 and the rodsconnected to them. The anchors described in the application abovereferred to have the characteristic of permitting the application offorces at a somewhat earlier time following the pouring than ischaracteristic of other types of anchors. The present invention is not,however, limited to use with such anchors.

The particular embodiments of the present invention which have beenillustrated and discussed herein are for illustrative purposes only andare not to be considered as a limitation upon the scope of the appendedclaims. In these claims, it is my intent to claim the entire inventiondisclosed herein, except as I am limited by the prior art.

I claim:

1. A method of securing forms for successive superimposed pours ofconcrete developing a unitary structure, comprising: embedding anchormeans at a distance from a generally vertical face of said structure aseach pour is made; connecting said anchor means to said forms withmembers extending upwardly at an incline to a point adjacent the planeof said vertical face; and securing the face form for said next pourexclusively to members extending through the immediately preceding pourto anchors in an older pour.

2. A method of securing forms for successive superimposed pours ofconcrete developing a unitary structure, comprising: embedding anchormeans at a distance from a generally vertical face of said structure aseach pour is made; connecting extension members to said anchor meansdirected upwardly at an incline to a point adjacent the plane of saidvertical face; and securing the face form for said next pour exclusivelyto extension members ex- 8 tending through the immediately precedingpour to anchors in an older pour.

3. A method of securing forms for successive superimposed pours ofconcrete developing a unitary structure, comprising: embedding anchormeans at a distance from a generally vertical face of said structure aseach pour is made; connecting said anchor means to said forms withmembers extending upwardly at an incline to a point adjacent the planeof said vertical face, said distance and the length of said membersbeing selected with respect to the depth of said pours to cause saidmembers to extend substantially through at least one pour beforeconnection to an anchor; and securing the face form for said next pourexclusively to members extending through the immediately preceding pourto anchors in an older pour.

4. A method of securing forms for successive superimposed pours ofconcrete developing a unitary structure, comprising: embedding anchormeans at a distance from a generally vertical face of said structure aseach pour is made, said anchor means being accessible at the top of saidpour and having an extension directed upwardly at an incline to a pointadjacent the plane of said vertical face, said distance and the lengthof said extension being selected with respect to the depth of said poursto cause said extension to extend substantially through at least onepour before connection to an anchor; and securing the face form for saidnext pour exclusively to extensions extending through the immediatelypreceding pour to anchors in an older pour.

5. A method of securing forms for successive superimposed pours ofconcrete developing a unitary structure, comprisin embedding anchormeans at a distance from a generally vertical face of said structure aseach pour is made; connecting said anchor means to said forms withmembers extending upwardly at an incline to a point adjacent the planeof said vertical face; and securing the face form for said next pour atleast in part to members extending with the anchors associated therewiththrough the full depth of the immediately preceding pour, said anchorsbeing embedded in an older pour.

6. A method of securing forms for successive superimposed pours ofconcrete developing a unitary structure, comprising: embedding anchormeans at a distance from a generally vertical face of said structure aseach pour is made; connecting extension members to said anchor meansdirected upwardly at an incline to a point adjacent the plane of saidvertical face; and securing the face form for said next pour at least inpart to extension members extending substantially through theimmediately preceding pour to anchors in an older pour, said extensionmembers emerging from the top surface of said preceding pour at adistance remote from the said vertical face.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,918,182 Eiler July 11, 1933 2,100,614 Schenk Nov. 30, 1937 2,355,376Huddeston et al Aug. 8, 1944 2,738,563 Steele Mar. 20, 1956 2,775,807Grover et al Jan. 1, 1957 2,857,647 Williams Oct. 28, 1958 2,873,505Sheldon Feb. 17, 1959 2,966,718 Dave Ian. 3, 1961 2,976,596 WilliamsMar. 28, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 163,292 Australia June 10, 1955 222,859Australia July 20, 1959 1,136,839 France Jan. 7, 1957

5. A METHOD OF SECURING FORMS FOR SUCCESSIVE SUPERIMPOSED POURS OFCONCRETE DEVELOPING A UNITARY STRUCTURE, COMPRISING: EMBEDDING ANCHORMEANS AT A DISTANCE FROM A GENERALLY VERTICAL FACE OF SAID STRUCTURE ASEACH POUR IS MADE; CONNECTING SAID ANCHOR MEANS TO SAID FORMS WITHMEMBERS EXTENDING UPWARDLY AT AN INCLINE TO A POINT ADJACENT THE PLANEOF SAID VERTICAL FACE; AND SECURING THE FACE FORM FOR SAID NEXT POIUR ATLEAST IN PART TO MEMBERS EXTENDING WITH THE ANCHORS ASSOCIATED THEREWITHTHROUGH THE FULL DEPTH OF THE IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING POUR, SAID ANCHORSBEING EMBEDDED IN AN OLDER POUR.